The Kingdom in the Center

Every Fall, the church has a series to help you evaluate how you are doing as a disciple. 

Are you leading a quality life? How do you know if you are leading a life of value?

Picture a Venn diagram with the circles that intersect. 

These circles stand for:

Contentment - A quality life is content. 

Purpose - A quality life has meaning. 

Relationships - A quality life has good relationships. 

Contentment offers release from fear because you are content in all situations. Paul wrote about that:

Philippians 4:12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 

The one who is faithful will receive more. This is not the prosperity gospel. God is talking about spiritual rather than material riches. 

Why do relationships break? We become hardened. We stop caring. We break it off with God; God does not become hardened to us. God is faithful. 

In the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13.3-23) the thorns of wealth, the worries of this life, choke the faith of those in the West. Contentment inoculates us against this. 

Identity and the Cross

"Hello, and welcome to air conditioning," was the pastor's introduction. Welcome to Southern California in the days of global warming. 

Don't invest your day in ambition, greed, selfishness, and guilt. Invest your day in other people. Don't lust after treasure that rusts, invest in true things of the heart. 

The pastor just returned from China. Chinese people tend to be more concrete thinkers - hard for our abstract loving pastor. 

Christians in China are mostly in rural areas. Rural areas almost Third World in feel. Still persecuted, but not as bad. Right to assembly, not right to believe is what is attacked, although government censorship is a big problem. Government trying to push underground Christians in allowed, censored church. They are trying to combine Christianity and Confucianism. Possibly hoping to form state religion because communism doesn't have hearts of people. 

Now to the sermon. There is a long term downturn in violence in the world. Most terrorist-related deaths were in 70s and 80s. Lots of good things happening in world today; but, people always tend to feel the opposite. 

Our culture is built on a divide that is really a conflict. Can be fruitful but can work to divide nation. 

We could say let's forget our differences in view of a greater thing; but, that's not the answer. We need to love each other and learn from our differences. Both sides have a compelling story. 

The key issue for unity is identity. Who are you? Is your first response political, career, family, etc.? Our key identity should be in Jesus. 

Quarrels at the congregation at Corinth were called "warring" by Paul. Our current political divides are nothing new. They were fighting over focus, perspective, ethnicity, and race - just like today. In other words, they were fighting over identity. 

If we are to get past current conflicts, our identity must be grounded in our baptism. 

Learn how to see the humanity in the Bible. 

Learn how to see the humanity in one another. Do not demand change in others. Put on the identity of Christ and make space for one another.